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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27318133">Rat Semetary</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/casstayinmyass/pseuds/casstayinmyass'>casstayinmyass</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ghost (Sweden Band), Repugnant (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animal Death, Animal Undeath, Car Accidents, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Graphic Description of Corpses, Grief/Mourning, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Happy Halloween, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Married Couple, Murder, Necromancy, Rats, Resurrection, Temporary Character Death, Zombies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:27:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27318133</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/casstayinmyass/pseuds/casstayinmyass</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Copia and Terzo move to a new house in the countryside. Their house is perfect, except for the mysterious cemetery in the woods behind the house.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cardinal Copia/Papa Emeritus III, Mary Goore/Original Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Scary Stories To Tell In The Abbey</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Rat Semetary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is Halloween, this is Halloween-- hey, don't get your hopes up, this isn't a Nightmare Before Christmas story. I'm just excited it's the 31st! Did you hear about that mishap in the kitchen last night, of Copia and some Sister of Sin accidentally destroying Papa's gingerbread church for the party today? Sheesh. Never a dull moment around here.</p><p>Speaking of Copia, we all know how the Cardinal loves his pet rats. But what lengths would he go to for them? Get into your costumes and find out in today's very last haunted tale of All Hallow's Eve!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The spirited little rat gave an exuberant squeak, running up her owner's left arm and down the other.</p><p>"Look at Piccolina go!" Copia beamed, ducking so she could scurry up his neck. "She is so full of life today!" Terzo looked up at his husband, attempting to match his enthusiasm. He wasn't the biggest fan of the critter himself, but rats made Copia happy. For his part, the other had compromised to only get one-- instead of the 10 he wanted. Pico was tiny and unique; she had a small piece out of one ear, a birth irregularity and something Copia liked to tickle. Pico was the sweetest rat he'd ever known-- affectionate, and loved to curl up in his hand.</p><p>"Very cute, caro," Terzo chuckled. "She got into some catnip I think, no? What would it be? Ratnip?"</p><p>"I think she's just feeling playful," Copia laughed. Terzo came to sit next to him on the black velvet couch. "Here." The older of the two eyed the small brown rat, gazing up at him with sweet, beady eyes.</p><p>"Va bene," he sighed, scooping the little blob into his hands. She darted up to kiss his nose, and Terzo grinned. He had to admit, she was a little darling.</p><p>"She has the right idea," Copia said. He leaned in to give Terzo a kiss on the cheek, and Terzo turned to make it into a real kiss as the two snuggled in to watch The Exorcist. Copia broke out his favourite tub of ice cream, Caramel Cone Explosion. He would always feed the almond chunks to Terzo.</p><p>They had just moved into this neighbourhood together, to a quiet house away from their families in the city. They had promised to host holidays here, but it felt nice to have their own little slice of life away from the hustle and bustle— save from the loud service highway their house was built beside.</p><p> </p><p>The next day, the two woke up early. Copia trudged out of the bedroom to feed Piccolina while Terzo went for his morning run before he would start breakfast (or whatever he could microwave of what Copia had cooked last night). When he returned however, he found Copia sitting on the front porch.</p><p>"What is the matter?" Terzo asked, taking out his earbuds.</p><p>"Terzo, she is gone."</p><p>"What?" Terzo caught Copia in his arms. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"Piccolina, she got her cage open overnight. I can't find her anywhere around the house."</p><p>"Has she raided the cupboards?"</p><p>"Please, be serious. She has gotten out before, but she never leaves the house." Papa nodded, realizing how much of a state the other man is in.</p><p>"Do we need to look? We can check under every piece of furniture—"</p><p>"I have been looking all morning," Copia fretted. He took Terzo's offered hand. "I thank you, but we will have to let her come out on her own."</p><p>"Bene," Terzo said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of Copia's head. A couple of trucks barrelled by them on the street, and Terzo scowled. "Let's enjoy the morning inside, si? This street is the noisiest I've ever heard."</p><p>"Yes," Copia huffed a laugh. "Something the real estate agent failed to mention before we moved in."</p><p> </p><p>Decorations went up at the beginning of October, the two covering their house in fake spider webs, pumpkins they would carve the week before Halloween, and the Trick 'r Treat Sam animatronic they nearly took a second mortgage out for. Afternoon was the best time to decorate they decided, since the sun would soon be going down and they could light the display up. Sun waning and Spooky Tunes playlist going, the two were prepared to win their new neighbourhood as best decorated house on Halloween: an ambition they'd always shared.</p><p>"How does he look?" Copia asked, turning to Terzo to show how he had positioned Sam. Terzo had his sleeves rolled up, trying to pump air into the inflatable coffin on the lawn.</p><p>"Good. Why couldn't I be in charge of him? Or the ghosts hanging in the trees? My lungs, they are shit! You know this!"</p><p>"That is a you problem, caro. I seem to remember telling you smoking was bad." Terzo scowled at him.</p><p>"And I seem to remember quitting, to make you marry me." He sat back on his ass. "Okay, break time."</p><p>"You only started assembling that ten minutes ago!"</p><p>"Si, hard work." He wiggled his eyebrows as he reached back for his wineglass on the patio table. "You like to see your amore work hard for you, eh?"</p><p>"I was not looking," Copia muttered. He was unable to hide his blush though, and Terzo caught him in his lie, snaking his arms around Copia's waist.</p><p>"You like to see my muscles flex?" Terzo teased, rolling up his sleeve further. Copia began to heat up.</p><p>"What muscles?" he shot back.</p><p>"What muscles," Terzo pouted, reaching down to Copia's hips. "You hurt your Papa. These are the muscles that hold you up against the wall when I fuck you, hm?" Copia shivered.</p><p>"They are strong sometimes."</p><p>"When?" Terzo whispered in his ear. "When I carry you to bed? When I hold your legs up around my shoulders, caro?"</p><p>"Terzo..." Copia whined softly in protest. This was not productive.</p><p>"How about that time I pinned you down and sucked your cock? I am thinking I was pretty strong then, no?" All Copia could do was exhale a breath, and Terzo dipped around to hide his chin in his husband's neck. Just as he was going in for a kiss, the opening of Monster Mash began to play. "Ah!" Terzo blurted, launching back off the porch. "I love this song! Come and shake your ass with me!" Copia rolled his eyes, but dropped his string of lights. He couldn't resist a little ass wobbling.</p><p>After doing the Monster Mash with he who wanted to do anything but work, Copia went back to hanging lights. He climbed up the ladder, and Terzo sat back, watching the other man's ass. He began to feel bad.</p><p>"Why don't you let me do that?!" Terzo shouted up. "You deserve a break, you have haunted our house so nicely!"</p><p>"If you climb up this ladder, I will have a real dead body to sit up here," Copia snapped. Terzo chuckled.</p><p>"I am going for a bit of a walk then. See if there are any neighbours who are worth giving our Ferrero Roches to." He got up, and headed down the path as the red of the setting sun began to spread out.</p><p>"Don’t be late!" Copia called. "I am nearly done, and I have made tortellini for dinner!"</p><p>"Si! Loud and clear."</p><p>The road was a busy one, and there was really no sidewalk to be found. It was a dangerous service road to have right by residential houses, especially with kids in the area. Terzo took a deep breath of fall air, imagining with a slight smile how nice it would be come winter, to walk along hand in hand with Copia, sharing a sweet drink and maybe a few kisses. The other man had turned what had previously been a brick wall into a lovesick fool. It was a beautiful thing.</p><p>Something caught Terzo's eye at his feet.</p><p>"No," the man whispered. He scooped up the little body with a tender hand, and felt his heart ache a little. <em>"Shit." </em>It was Piccolina. She wasn't in good shape but she was still intact, which told Terzo is could have been an animal. Terzo cringed. Could he hide something like this? No. Copia would be waiting, hoping every day for his bambino to come back to him. He needed to tell him the truth, however hard it would be. He searched around, and found an opportune old shoebox by the side of the road he could bring Piccolina back in. Copia would want some kind of burial, he was sure.</p><p>When Terzo got back, Copia was setting the table, lighting the gothic black candles they had on the table. "Good walk?" Terzo simply nodded. "Dinner is warm, so wash your hands and sit." When Terzo didn't respond, he looked back. "What's that?" he asked, nodding down to the box. Terzo set it down on the counter, and approached Copia, whispering the news in his ear. Copia crumpled into him, and Terzo held him up with those strong arms, held him tight for as long as he needed.</p><p>Copia knew he needed to bury his rat, but he didn't know the area very well. He supposed he could just walk until he found a suitable spot—there may have been a service highway right in front of their house, but behind it, there was a pathway that led over a hill and into some woods. There was sure to be some ground here where he could lay his pet to rest.</p><p>"I am going to go bury Pico."</p><p>"Now?" Terzo asked. "You are going to go out in the middle of the night?"</p><p>"The moon is full," Copia said. "I can see."</p><p>"I should go with you. You know, eh... for support?" Copia shook his head.</p><p>"I want to do this alone. But thank you." Terzo watched him bundle up in his red cardigan and head out, wishing there was something more he could do.</p><p>"Watch for the traffic!"</p><p>Out in the forest, Copia's boots crunched through red, orange and yellow leaves fallen from the trees. It was a pretty picture, and would make a nice memory of their new home, if not for the circumstances. Copia cradled the box in his arms, and peered into the distance. He was almost at the top of the hill. He made it to the other side, and saw a clearing down below. Approaching it, Copia found a nice spot with some dirt cleared where he could put the box underground. Just as he was entering, he noticed something sticking out of the ground. It was two sticks, tied together in a cross. A chill ran through him. Beside it, there was another slab of wood, with childlike writing on it. "LUCY" was written on it.</p><p>Copia turned to look behind him, and found he had stumbled upon a graveyard... of sorts. All the grave markers were unusually small, and only had first names. Spot, Patches, Bruno, Sparkles, Opi... Copia's eyebrows raised. He had found a cemetery for pets. Looking down at the box in his hands, he figured this was serendipitous. Digging out his own hole, he took off the top of the box, using a nearby stone to carve into it: "Pico". He stuck the piece of cardboard into the ground, and filled in the small grave. He kissed his fingers and pressed it to the soil, giving his rat one last goodbye. Then he stood, and looked down at the ground, where was a curious fog was beginning to accumulate.</p><p>A twig snapped behind him.</p><p>"Hello?" He looked around. A wolf howled in the distance. "Is somebody there?" The woods remained quiet save for the squeaking of a chipmunk and the wind rustling the leaves. The defeated man made his way back with slow, trudging steps.</p><p> </p><p>The next morning, Copia's face felt puffy. Terzo had breakfast ready for him when he got up, which was a sad attempt to be honest, but Copia appreciated the gesture of terribly bitter homemade pancakes. Copia sat at the table as Terzo did the dishes after. He had stomached his last pancake, washing it down with a gulp of sugary coffee.</p><p>"Maybe we should try and take our minds off this. Do something in the spirit of the season."</p><p>"We have movies," Terzo suggested, taking a sip from his own black cup.</p><p>"Mm. How about Dracula?"</p><p>The two spent the movie watching creepy movies and cuddling on the couch. They decided that for Halloween, they would be two different kinds of Dracula— Terzo would be Bela Lugosi, since he looked like him, and Copia would be Gary Oldman's, with the top hat and cane.</p><p>"I'm sorry for your loss, you know," Terzo whispered. He stroked Copia's hair, spooning him from behind as the end credits of House On Haunted Hill rolled.</p><p>"I know," Copia said.</p><p>"If I could bring her back, I would."</p><p>"I know she was just a rat, but—"</p><p>"Don't say that. I know I may not have been very warm toward the idea of having a rat here, but she was a sweet soul. Even I could see that." Copia cuddled back into him.</p><p> </p><p>Three days later, it was late at night when Copia heard a noise. Awakened from his sleep, he got out of bed, sneaking down the stairs. They had left the window in the living room open. He went to close it, but saw something dart out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly to see something scampering over the top of the couch, and onto the table. Moving over slowly, Copia turned on a lamp... to see a rat sitting there, looking up at him.</p><p>"Hello," he whispered, confusion etched in his features. The closer he looked at the rat, the stranger a feeling he got. It was small, brown, and had mats of hair. A large red gash ran down its side, and one eye was missing. Copia frowned, and his jaw went slack when he noticed the ear. There was a small piece out of it, just like Piccolina.</p><p>"Is it you?" he hissed. "It cannot be! I buried you!" He began to grin. "You must not have been dead, my little one. You scared us!" He went to pick his happy little rat up, but she arched her back and jumped off. Copia drew back, and laughed nervously.</p><p>Terzo came down the stairs, rubbing his face. "What is the matter, hm? 2 am."</p><p>"Look," Copia whispered. Any evidence of Terzo's exhaustion disappeared when he looked down at the rat.</p><p>"That's impossible," he muttered. "She was..."</p><p>"But she wasn't obviously!"</p><p>"I felt no heartbeat."</p><p>"Perhaps she was sleeping soundly."</p><p>"Copia, I held her—"</p><p>"Well she is here," Copia replied. "She is here! How else would she be here, eh?!" Terzo fell silent. He had no explanation. It seemed as though Piccolina was a miracle rat.</p><p> </p><p>Terzo sat, staring at the mangled rat. She was violently grooming herself in short bursts, and whenever he would go near her, she would arch her back and get up on her toes. Copia came over to try and scoop her for a usual tickling, but when he picked her up, she sank her teeth into his thumb. Crying out, he let her fall to the couch. She narrowed her eyes at the two of them, and Terzo frowned.</p><p>"There is something not right with her, in case you haven't noticed."</p><p>"Ai, shit," Copia muttered, shaking his hand. He went to run it under cold water; the bite had gone deep. Pico darted up onto the windowsill, and went back to scratching herself.</p><p>"She never used to act like that," Terzo mentioned.</p><p>"Perhaps she went through trauma, eh?"</p><p>"Some trauma, to change her whole disposition." Terzo continue to stare at the rat. He still wasn't fully convinced she wasn't dead that day. He knew for a fact that she had been.</p><p>When he was taking out the trash later in the day, Copia saw a young man across the street. He had to be in his late twenties, a punk with goth inclinations, a chunk of hot pink hair amidst the black, a ripped up muscle shirt and tight jeans.</p><p>"Evenin'!" He called with a lopsided smirk and a two-fingered salute.</p><p>"Hello," Copia nodded.</p><p>"You the new couple that just moved in?"</p><p>"We are, yes."</p><p>"God, it feels so fuckin' good to finally have some fellow queers in the neighbourhood," the guy huffed, and Copia laughed.</p><p>"Eh... you are our neighbor?"</p><p>"Yup. Mary Goore's the name. You done any hiking around here? I personally fucking hate hiking but you look like you've got the thighs for it." He winks. "I'm not flirting, I got a hot chick inside waiting for me with her tits out." Copia sputtered.</p><p>"Heh. Ehm, I have done a little hiking, yes. Down in the woods behind our house. I found a small graveyard actually, I was wondering how long it has been around." Mary's eyebrows shot up, and he looked around as if he has to look out for eavesdroppers on the empty stretch of road.</p><p>"Now that's some weird shit down there. You're probably gonna think I'm a fuckin' crackhead for saying this, but..." He jerked a thumb back, just as a truck roared between them down the road, kicking up leaves and dust and leaving the two in a spiral of dirt. Mary flipped him the finger. "<em>FUCKER! </em>Like a goddamn freeway through here! <em>Ruined my hair, asshole!"</em> He scowled, trying to restyle it. "Got the rest of my fuckin' 2b in here, wanted to look good while I boned my girlfriend, but no, guess I'll go fuck myself looking like that dumb fuckin' hyena from Lion—"</p><p>Copia coughed. "You were saying, Mr. Goore?" The goth-punk hybrid looked back up.</p><p>"Oh. Oh, yeah. Sorry. So my skunk Rambo got hit by a car along here, right? My girl and I thought my stinky little buddy was road kill. There's a superstition around this town that you gotta bury your pet down in that pet cemetery, so hell, what-the-fuck-ever, that's what I did." Mary leans over his trash can so his voice would carry across the road. "Stinky little shit came back. He came back to life, man! I found him one day, sitting on my porch."</p><p>"What do you mean he came back to life?" Copia asked apprehensively. "Could he not simply have been playing dead before?"</p><p>"Nah, nah, nah. He was dead. Guts flew."</p><p>"Ah," Copia muttered, frowning. "Where is Rambo now?"</p><p>"That's the thing." Mary shook his head. "I had to put him down again myself. He came back wrong."</p><p>Copia's breath hitched, thinking of Pico. "What do you mean, wrong?" Mary met his eyes, a haunted look passing over them.</p><p>"Just wrong."</p><p> </p><p>Copia entered the house again, spooked. Terzo looked up. "You were gone long."</p><p>"Si. Met the neighbour."</p><p>"Evangelists, I hope. I love to scare those motherfuckers off their high horses." Terzo gave a wicked grin. Copia managed an absent smile.</p><p>"Sorry to disappoint caro, but this kid was the furthest thing from."</p><p>"Is something the matter?" Terzo asked, cocking his head. "You look somewhat more disturbed than you typically do, this concerns me." Copia huffed.</p><p>"No, I'm fine. Halloween is in two days, eh? Let us focus on that."</p><p> </p><p>Halloween day came faster than Copia on their wedding night. Piccolina had only gotten worse since the day she came back, and Copia was beginning to question what truth hid behind Mary Goore's warning.</p><p>Around midday before they were about to start getting into their fanned costumes for the night, the two went out to start setting up the lights and display.</p><p>"Have you seen Pico?” Terzo was quiet for a second, and Copia believed he hadn't heard. "Have you—?”</p><p>"I shooed her away."</p><p>"What?!"</p><p>"I opened the crate this morning to feed her, and she bit me too. She took a chunk right out of my finger!" Terzo held up his bound index finger. "A bloody mess. Which is what your rat is!"</p><p>"Take that back, Terzo." Terzo came over to Copia to pull him into a hug.</p><p>"Caro. Please listen to your amore. Whatever happened to your beloved pet, she changed. She was not happy. Something obviously happened to scare her. She was not the same, si? You know this in your heart." Copia knew he was right, but all he could do was stare. "I know you are sad. I will buy you a new one, mm? Anything to make my amore happy." Terzo winked. "Tomorrow, after some break the bed morning sex—in our costumes, I hope— I will take you to town and we will find a new bambino to call our small one. This sounds nice?"</p><p>"Si," Copia smiled. "You are too good to me." Terzo waved a hand, and laughed. They saw a couple of trick or treaters across the road. One was dressed in a sheet with eyeholes, the other as a witch.  Terzo smiled and positioned the pumpkin.</p><p>"You come for candy on this frightful night, little ones?!" Copia laughed, reaching back inside to grab his insertable fangs as his partner went on. "Well, I'm afraid you have caught myself and Dracula out of costume, but I think we may have something for you." A truck turned the corner down the road, and Terzo sighed. "Hold on. Give it a moment, si?"</p><p>But the kids didn't listen. The one dressed as a ghost couldn't see through her peripherals and she couldn't hear him through the sheet. She took a step put into the road. "Stay there!" Terzo shouted, panic rising in his throat. Copia looked back out at the shout, and saw what was happening. The truck was barrelling toward them. Copia went to run and help, but Terzo was closer. The little girl took another step, and he knew what he had to do. Copia watched as Terzo leapt out into the road, pushing the girl back onto the grass. The truck didn't have time to hit his breaks.</p><p>It didn't happen in slow motion, like you see in the movies. It happened so fast, Copia was left to question if it happened at all. The next thing he knew when he snapped out of it, the parents were ushering their two children away. Copia could see the trail of blood. He could see the scattered candy bars that Terzo had been holding, flattened by wheels. The truck screeched to a halt. Copia closed his eyes, kept them squeezed shut until he couldn't pretend he didn't see that any longer. Walking on shaky legs, he approached the road... and saw something he'd never forget.</p><p>Terzo's body was lying face up on the pavement. His face was gored, half of it torn up with teeth and bone exposed. He looked like a skull on one side, as if it had been painted on. Half of his scalp had been torn off, the raven hair Terzo loved so much tangled together in a bloody pulp. Copia didn't want to look any lower; he could already tell his limbs were a mess, and he didn't want to see the state of his insides. Unblinking green eyes stared back into Copia's. Copia couldn't move-- couldn't cry, couldn't fall. He stared down at his husband on the crisp Halloween afternoon, and waited for the sirens.</p><p> </p><p>It had been a day, and Copia hadn't slept. There was supposed to be some kind of arrangement made where the local mortician would pick up the body to work on it and get it ready for burial, so for now, Copia had Terzo in the backyard.</p><p>He rolled to his side in bed. He didn't have any tears left to cry, so he just stared out his window, the left side of the bed freezing cold. His eyes shut for a second hoping he could rest for at least an hour tonight, but scratching at the window woke him up. Copia squinted, and found Piccolina scratching aggressively at the window, trying to gnaw at the glass. Her nails were going wild scraping and tearing, like she was feral. <em>Like there was something wrong.</em> Copia's mind began to work. She had obviously been brought back from that cemetery. Something in that cemetery brought her back from the dead. <em>The dead...</em></p><p> </p><p>When Copia approached, Mary's house was still decorated. He had a jack o lantern vomiting its innards, some plastic heads hanging from his tree, and a Michael Myers decal in his window. Copia dabbed at his puffy red eyes, and knocked on the door cautiously. About forty five long seconds later, Mary came to the door.</p><p>"What the f— oh, hey man." Mary blinked out at Copia. He was completely naked, with a half chub erection.</p><p>"Ah." Copia quickly looked away, and Mary looked down.</p><p>"Oh, sorry." He reached down, pulled off one of his socks, and stuck it on his dick. "There we go." Copia nodded, clearing his throat. Mary's face changed. "Hey, I heard what happened to your husband. I'm really sorry. Really sorry. You wanna come in?" Copia was going to refuse, but he felt his body sag with exhaustion as he gave in.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>He sat down at Mary's dinner table on a mismatched chair. The young man wrapped a blanket around his lower half like a towel, turned down his blaring death metal on a hello kitty CD player, and shouted up the stairs.</p><p>"I'LL BE A SEC, BABE! IT'S THE ITALIAN GUY FROM ACROSS THE STREET, GUY YOU SAID HAD A TIGHT ASS? DON'T TOUCH THAT PUSSY 'TIL I'M BACK!" Copia felt like the wind had been knocked out of him overhearing that.</p><p>"I don't mean to intrude on your evening—"</p><p>"Ah, no big deal. It's edging night anyway, I was coming down for some pizza." Copia blinked.</p><p>"Yes. Well, I have a question for you."</p><p>"Fire away. Can I get you anything? I've got some shake and pour ready margaritas, some bagel bites, uh... scary oreos, y'know, the bullshit orange and black kind—"</p><p>"I'm alright, thanks." Copia took a deep breath. "Mary, do you think it would work if I buried my husband in the pet cemetery?"</p><p>"I'm sorry, what?"</p><p>"I want to bury Terzo in the burial ground, in the forest." Mary narrowed his eyes, sat forward to rest on his elbows.</p><p>"I don't think you listened when I told you my pet came back weird when I buried him there. Fucked up. He was suddenly feral."</p><p>"I know, the same thing happened to my rat!" Copia sighed. "But what if it's different? For people, you see?"</p><p>"Can I be brutally honest?"</p><p>"Please."</p><p>"I think that's the stupidest fucking idea I've ever heard come out of your mouth, and I practically just met your dumb ass." Copia's lower lip trembled as he hung his head.</p><p>"Have you ever lost someone?" Mary was quiet for a minute.</p><p>"Yeah. My mom."</p><p>"Wouldn't you do anything to see her again?" Mary looked at the mantle for a while, and nodded sombrely.</p><p>"If there might be a way to see my amore again... any way at all," Copia choked out, wiping his eyes. "I have to try to find it. But I cannot carry him alone." Mary looked out the window at the full moon rising over the hills.</p><p> </p><p>"It's not gonna work!" Mary called behind Copia. He carried Terzo's feet while Copia lugged his head. Mary caught sight of the state of the body, and made a face. "Couldn't we have put a bag over him or something?"</p><p>"Ai! That is my husband you are speaking of."</p><p>"<em>Was</em> your husband!"</p><p>"That is what we are about to find out," Copia huffed, and they stopped at the forested burial ground. Mary set his side of Terzo down and rubbed his shivering arms.</p><p>"This doesn't feel right. Something's not right in the air." Copia glared at Mary, pointing down to his shirt.</p><p>"You are wearing a shirt that says Cannibal Corpse, and you don't think a night hike feels right? Your heroes would be disappointed." Mary growled, and helped Copia start to dig. Once they had the hole deep enough, they slid the body in. Copia blew a kiss down to Terzo, as he cast the first dirt. Mary gripped Copia's shoulder when the deed was done.</p><p>"Mr. Copia?" he muttered. "I really am sorry."</p><p> </p><p>Seven days had gone by, and Copia was beginning to lose hope. Maybe Mary was right. Maybe burying a human was different than an animal. After all, it was a pet cemetery. Maybe the magic just didn't work this time.</p><p>A thunderstorm raged outside, blowing autumnal leaves against the house and lighting up the bedroom with every strike of lightning. Copia found himself curling into fetal position, choking out a sob. Although it was a small hope, it was something that had kept him going. The house felt so god damn empty without the laughter and love of his amore. Terzo loved thunderstorms. He'd probably tell Copia some story of himself and his brothers when he was a kid, if he were here tonight, while they enjoyed sweet treats together. Copia had let the ice cream rot at the back of his freezer; he no longer had his Papa to eat the almonds.</p><p>Interrupting his stifled sobs, Copia heard three loud, clear pounds on the front door. Getting out of bed nervously, he wondered if it was Mary.</p><p>Swinging open the door, Copia's knees nearly buckled. It was Terzo.</p><p>Copia surged forward, giving his husband a hug. Terzo didn't return it. Lightning illuminated his gored face and the bit of skull that was showing through. Copia quickly looked down.</p><p>"Eh... come in, I've missed you more than you could know!"</p><p>Terzo's bones crunched as he sat down on the sofa, in his usual spot. Copia sat next to him, wiping his tears away. Terzo stared at him through wet raven hair flattened down his face. His green eyes were unblinking and he would twitch now and then. Blood dripped rhythmically onto the couch cushion. Terzo finally spoke, a low, sickening drawl that sounded like a stone dragging.</p><p>"You look like shit," he chuckled cruelly. Copia attempted a laugh.</p><p>"I... yes, I suppose I do. I have been crying for days."</p><p>"What for?" Terzo huffed.</p><p>"You, of course."</p><p>"What? You could not live without me? You are so pathetic that you could not live without me?" Copia was at a loss for words. Terzo only chuckled again. "You never could remember how to speak when nervous.” Tense silence befell them. “Are you nervous, caro?"</p><p>"I..." Still, Copia refused to look directly at the other.</p><p>"My flesh was rotting while you slept in bed, like no other to you." Copia tried to find words.</p><p>"I buried you there to bring you back."</p><p>"So here I am," Terzo snarled. He moved his neck, and it made a sickening crack. Copia shut his eyes as Terzo leaned forward slowly. "Look at me." Copia kept his eyes screwed shut as Terzo growled, putrid breath hot on the living man's face. <em>"Look at me,"</em> he repeated in a hiss. Copia finally opened his eyes, and was forced to look into the eyes that still belonged to the lover he thought he'd lost, framed by a face gored and dripping blood. Copia felt a chill down to his bones.</p><p>They got into bed together, but their interaction had left a bad taste in Copia's mouth. Of course he knew the man wouldn’t look the same when he came back. But he was so <em>different</em>. He chanced a look over his shoulder, and a shock of dread went through him. Terzo was staring at him wide eyed, an unnerving smile on what was left of his face. His pillow was stained with the blood leaking from the side of his open jaw. Copia managed a smile, then quickly turned back to his side, unable to shake the mounting fear of what was behind him, watching him.</p><p>Finally Copia allowed himself to drift off to sleep, pretending the monster behind him was still his one and only.</p><p>Once Terzo was sure Copia was asleep, he slid out of bed. Driven by some sort of bloodlust, he clambered to the kitchen with intent, grabbing a butcher knife. He made sure it was nice and sharp by dragging it along his finger. "Come to Papa, caro mio," he hissed, and just as he was striding back toward the bedroom, a light flickered on across the street. This drew Terzo's attention, and he turned. Perhaps a small detour first.</p><p> </p><p>"Look at this shit," Mary pointed to the screen. "I can't believe you made me watch this!"</p><p>"What's wrong with it?" his girlfriend muttered.</p><p>"Babydoll, it was funny. Horror isn't supposed to be fuckin’ funny!"</p><p>"Beetlejuice isn't supposed to be horror," she protested. "It's just fun spooky!"</p><p>"My ass," Mary muttered, getting up to brush his teeth. "I was expecting some carnage."</p><p>"You got the two ghosts pulling their faces into weird gross shapes!"</p><p>"Whatever." Mary let his girl go on about how hot Beetlejuice was while he stared out the bathroom window toward Copia's house. He wondered how he was getting on. It was obvious the guy's husband wasn't coming back at this point. The closer he looked, he thought he saw a dark figure walking across the street. When he looked again, it was gone. Huh. Something was weird about tonight.</p><p>Mary came out of the bathroom and got into bed. As soon as he turned out the light and leaned over to kiss his girl, he heard a bump downstairs. Before you say anything, he sighed, yeah, I'll go fucking check it." Letting him deal with it, his girlfriend put her headphones in to sleep to some music. Mary hopped his tall, slender frame out of bed in his boxers, and trudged down the stairs. He looked around, and was about to go back up to the comfort of his bed, before he noticed something. His front door was unlocked.</p><p>Grumbling to himself for being a dumbass, Mary jogged over and locked it. There was nobody really around here except for the neighbours, so he didn't have to be that worried. That's not like the neighbours were going to break in. He gave the place one last check, shining his phone over the many posters and banners of rock bands and goth scene shit they'd hung. Finding nothing, he went back to the stairs. Taking the first few steps double, he turned back when he heard an extra stair creak.</p><p>Mary stopped. His girlfriend had fallen asleep. All he could hear was the groaning of the roof in protest of the storm, and the occasional knock of the shutter. "Fuck it," he muttered. "Tired as shit." He took another step up, and felt insurmountable pain as something sliced through his heel. He turned back as he fell on his stomach with a smack. He looked down to the bottom of the stairs to see a horrifying sight. There was the corpse he and Copia had buried in the pet cemetery, crawling up toward him with a bloody butcher knife. Mary screamed, trying to crawl up faster, but the warped version of the man grabbed him by his bloody heel. Mary kept screaming, but his girlfriend couldn't hear.</p><p>"You are a screamer, eh?" Terzo smiled. His smile bared his entire jaw on the right side, and blood dripped down onto Mary, over his forehead and down his face. "I like screamers, you know. My husband was one. I cannot wait to hear his final scream."</p><p>"DON’T—!" Mary shouted. Terzo silenced him by dragging the blade across his throat, splitting him open. He then gave a good stab to his jugular, and watches as the punk bled out on the stairs.</p><p>After taking care of the sleeping girlfriend too, Terzo headed back to the house across. When he returned to the bedroom however, he found Copia missing from it. Something heavy hit the back of his head, and he stumbled forward. He whipped around furiously to find Copia standing there, holding what looked like a brick from outside.</p><p>"What did you do?" Copia demanded, voice low and wavering in an attempt to sound threatening. His eyes fell down to the knife, which was dripping with blood.</p><p>"I was just having some fun, caro," Terzo tried, walking forward with his black hair dripping on the floor. "You remember how to do that, si? How we used to dance... shake our asses together... and then the sweet love we would make. You remember this?"</p><p>"I don't know who you are, but you didn't come back like my Terzo. He would never be so cruel to me." Copia swung the brick at him again. Terzo backed away, smiling that unnerving smile.</p><p>"I am still your husband. You brought me back, remember?"</p><p>"You're different. You've changed!" Terzo's smile turned into a scowl.</p><p>"Death does that to a man." He lunged, but Copia gave him a good kick. Terzo dropped the knife, holding his gut, but grabbed Copia when he had let his guard down. He dragged him outside, past the Halloween decorations and across their rain battered lawn. Terzo took him out into the road where he had died, holding him by the shoulders with superhuman strength.</p><p>"What are you doing?!" Copia blurted desperately.</p><p>"Join me, amore. We will be together, always." The other man struggled in his grip.</p><p>"No. Not like this. Let me go, Terzo!"</p><p>"Shhh. Do not fight it. Be with me. <em>Stay</em> with me." His voice began to grow deeper, until he was growling it in his ear. Copia felt Terzo's blood leak down the back of his neck, as the sound of a honking truck came nearer. "Stay with your Papa." Terzo whispered. "Stay with me forever." Copia clutched back at the evil that had become of his husband, and tried to struggle once more. The grip only tightened, and Copia realized all too late what a mistake it had been to bring him back to life.</p><p>The last lesson he would ever learn ran through Copia's mind as the headlights sped in their approach through the dark: sometimes, dead is better. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Don't look! Don't lo-- *splatter* Well... I did warn you. </p><p>Hey, come on out! Don't worry, it was only a story. You might want to knock on the doors of Papa III and the Cardinal just to make sure, though. They could use a little Halloween love. </p><p>Now, go! Fly fly starlings, into the night! Eat, fuck (if that's what you're into) and be spooky, because the Abbey's got Halloween fun all night for everyone. The ghouls are carving Jack O Lanterns in the game room. I heard Papa Nihil's giving candy out at his door (I just hope he's not a zombie!). Papa I's playing spooky tunes on the organ in the chapel (I just really hope he hasn't got someone tied up in the basement, where Papa II's hiding that puzzle box of his!) And Papa III... well, he's probably got his three vampire brides in his bed, so go join 'em if that's your thing. </p><p>Kissy and Possy out-- we hope you enjoyed joining us these cold October evenings. Join me in one last evil laugh! HUAHAHAHA! xo</p></blockquote></div></div>
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